The Search Truly Begins
He knocked on the door for the fifth time, and now his finger was seconds from the bell—when the door hurriedly opened.
"I said I am coming! What the hell!"
Cristina's anger fell to shock in an instant as soon as the face before her registered in her mind. Then the shock melted into an odd sense of triumph. She smiled.
"Why, good morning, Dan, how are you this fine morning?"
Dan narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. "Is she here, Cristina? I need to speak to her."
Cristina's eyebrows rose, and she scoffed. "You need to speak to her?" She shook her head, yawned, and ran her hand through her messy hair. "She left insanely early." She turned and headed to the kitchen.
"Want some coffee? She made me some of her oat cinnamon coffee cake." She looked back with a sly smile. "What did you have for breakfast?"
Dan bristled, his eyes returning to hers after looking over the front room, as if Amber Ann could be hiding behind a sofa. "I just want to know if she is here, Cristina."
Cristina shrugged. "Well, I already told you—she is not here. Have coffee or conduct a search—do what you need to do so I can go back to sleep." She ended with a yawn and looked to him, as if waiting for a decision.
"Then where is she?"
He sat at her kitchen island with a slump of resignation. Cristina turned and started the coffee and began pulling down cups and saucers.
"I have no idea. Call her, man! Ask her."
"She is not answering my texts or calls." He said it as if he were defeated. The sound caused Cristina to pause. She looked at him, her lips pursed.
"Then I don't know what to tell you. She doesn't want to talk to you. Leave it at that for now." She sighed and returned to prepping coffee and cake.
"She told me to be nice to you, so you are in my house and I am not reading you the riot act right now, but the truth is—even if I knew where she was—I would not tell you anything about Amber Ann." She looked to him.
"Tell me, Dan. Where did Jessica sleep last night?"
He pursed his lips and looked away. Cristina poured two cups of coffee and placed them, creamers and sugar, and coffee cake on the kitchen island.
"Exactly. Go back to Jessica and leave…"
Dan slammed his hand on the kitchen island and yelled at her—interrupting her words.
"Jessica is not MY wife! I WANT TO SPEAK TO AMBER!"
He sighed, looked to the floor, and ran his hand through his hair.
"I am sorry, Cristina. I just want to speak to my wife."
Cristina cocked her head and looked at him for a long while. She sighed and narrowed her eyes, bringing her coffee cup to her lips.
"Then I guess you will have to wait. When she wants to speak to you…" she shrugged and took a sip of her coffee. "…she will speak to you."
Jessica sat at the most expensive bistro in Carson City with her mother, Angelica, and her youngest sister, Virginia.
"She sent the divorce papers by courier." Jessica rolled her eyes. "It is all just a bit of drama."
Her mother smiled and gave a slight shrug. "Once your sister makes a decision, it is done. Tell him to sign them and end things." She pursed her lips. "That marriage was nothing more than elaborate fiction." She suddenly became serious. "Please do not speak to your father about this. He is very upset with both of you. You know Amber can do no wrong."
Jessica sipped a mimosa and rolled her eyes. Virginia narrowed her eyes and cocked her head.
"That dress. Where did you pick that up? I didn't realize they sold Altri Tre outside Italy."
Jessica shrugged, as she ran her hand over the soft, chocolate-colored fabric—a smirk on her face. "Amber Ann has very good taste."
Virginia rolled her eyes. "So you are stealing her clothes as well as her husband?! Paul and I will be over to the house for the rest of her things."
"She may not care about your thievery, but we do."
Jessica looked wounded. "Why do all of you always like to gang up on me?"
"Because you are always such a bitch, Jessica." Virginia ignored her sister and mother's gasps as she sipped her sweet tea. She picked up her phone and began texting her brothers what she had learned.
She was not going to allow Jessica to come back and pick up where she left off.
Carson City Research and Laboratories was the biggest research center in the region. Dan entered the large skyscraper that was their headquarters—the only thought in his mind was to see Amber Ann.
He signed in the registry and went up to the administration floor.
As soon as he exited the elevator, the receptionist's smile fell away to confusion. Everyone had heard about Mrs. Lance-Trace resigning. The pretty young girl gathered herself and greeted Dan with a smile.
"Good Afternoon, Mr. Trace. How can I help you today?"
He stopped short, confusion clear on his face. "Is my wife not here today?" His mind began to buzz as questions and possibilities assaulted it.
Did she take the day off?
Why was the receptionist looking so oddly at him?
Why didn't the girl just say Amber Ann was in the lab?
"Umm. No, sir. She is not in today."
He frowned. "No? Is Colleen in?"
"She is in the lab, sir."
He was taken aback by how her entire demeanor changed when she answered about Colleen. Was she hiding something?
"Can I leave a message?"
The receptionist frowned. "For Dr. Rivers?"
"Umm. Yes. Sure. Can you please ask her to call me as soon as she can?"
"Of course, Mr. Trace."
She answered with enthusiasm and wrote the message with flare. Dan turned and pressed the elevator button with an odd sense of confusion.
Where was his wife?